Couple offer reward for return of lost Sooty puppet

July 4, 2007

Updated: Monday, June 7, 2010 (11:06)

Sooty at Rheims in France.

A REWARD of £200 has been offered for the return of a missing Sooty Bear puppet, lost somewhere in Huntingdonshire. The toy is believed to have fallen out of the pocket of a car door somewhere between Hollywell and Woodhurst. His owners, partners Paula Ke

A REWARD of £200 has been offered for the return of a missing Sooty Bear puppet, lost somewhere in Huntingdonshire.

The toy is believed to have fallen out of the pocket of a car door somewhere between Hollywell and Woodhurst.

His owners, partners Paula Kennett and Chris Hall, have advertised in The Hunts Post and its sister papers in Ely and March appealing for his return.

The couple, who are in their 50s and live in Walton on Thames, were visiting family in Huntingdonshire when they realised that their Sooty was missing.

Ms Kennett said: "We have had him for 21 years and he has travelled round the world with us. He was bought by Chris in a marvellous toyshop in Loughborough. He has been to Brazil, Portugal and France. He has travelled on the highest road in the Alps, Dartmoor, New York - where hasn't he been! He has such an interesting CV."

She added: "I'm terribly upset because we have looked after him all these years. We would pay almost anything to get him back."

Ms Kennett said she was confident that though thousands of copies of the original Sooty puppet had been made, she would recognise their bear if it was returned to her.

"I would know him. He has original features and such beautiful eyes."

Mr Hall said: "I was born in Huntingdon and my mother's grandfather was the miller at Houghton Mill. Her father, my grandfather, started Huntingdon's first taxi service from the family home at 20 Ingram Street. My father's parents ran The Vic pub during the war, so Huntingdon means a lot to us.

"Sooty has become a constant companion to our lives. People would ask how he was and his paw-print appeared on our greeting cards. It became a tradition for us to photograph Sooty at any significant place we visited.

"We lost him over the weekend of June 9/10 which was supposed to be a special occasion. It was Paula's birthday and we went to Woodhurst to visit relatives.

"Sooty went missing either in the car park at Ely, Hollywell or Woodhurst or in our hotel car park in Cambridge.

"He was symbolic of the 20 happy years Paula and I have shared together. So, we have decided to spend the money we had saved for this year's holiday on trying to get him back. We hope the newspaper adverts may go some way to returning him to his rightful place - cosily sitting on the end of our settee."

INFORMATION: If you think you have seen this particular Sooty, contact 0781 688 9328.